We have this self-imposed limitation of one-deal-a-day that we think is important. The reason we’ve stuck with this one-deal-a-day model is just the focus. It puts the merchant in the spotlight and makes it feel really special. It makes a really simple yes/no decision for consumers. I think it’s one of the things that differentiates us from all the coupon and deal sites that came before where it was just this list of deals and it’s overwhelming and everything feels cheap.

—Andrew Mason, CEO of Groupon, on Charlie Rose. Btw, it’s also fun watching Mason avoid Rose’s persistent questioning about Google at the end: “I know what you’re asking, but you know I’m not going to answer. I can’t talk about this, Charlie. You can’t talk about all kinds of things for the same reason that every person you go on a date with, you don’t bring them home to your parents right away.” Charlie called that “the perfect answer.”

Rudiger

Where does he get “one deal a day” from? I see at least 7 in my city. And with the release of Groupon 2.0: “merchants can now offer customizable Groupon deals whenever they want” (TechCrunch). I’m guessing that’ll add up to a lot more than one deal a day.

This discussion is closed.

About Matt Linderman

Now: The creator of Vooza, "the Spinal Tap of startups." Previously: Employee #1 at 37signals and co-author of the books Rework and Getting Real.